Bortsprungt Mutation Collection Preview at Rooms 25

One of the few fashion brands who really made an impression at this season’s Rooms 25 was Bortsprungt who were giving us a sneak preview of their S/S 2013 collection aptly entitled and themed “Mutation”. Bortsprungt have a strong tendency towards some pretty odd imagery that quite rightly challenges shoppers at LaForetHarajuku to go outside their comfort zone and wear something that is both cute, girly and feminine, but also just a little bit edgy. It is a perfect brand for lovers of the adult kawaiistyle that I have been mentioning a lot recently, i.e. kawaii fashion that is credible not cliched, and can be worn in a fashionable context and not just with by the teenagers on Takeshita-doori. This time Bortsprungt have gathered their back-catalogue of odd imagery and put it through something of a blender to create a psychedelic remix or mutation of their established look. It is a move that has enabled them to make far greater use of colour than their previous pale pastel collections and all round it already feels like Japanese fashion is building up to a bold S/S 2013.

It must be said that this is just a taste of what is to come and at Rooms the designer promised that he is building a secret garden packed with models for later next month and some show-pieces that ought to surprise.

These triangular dinosaur/moster ridges have turned up quite a lot in Japanese menswear lately, but it is great to see them in such a feminine ensemble – cute and geometric, who knew?

The paws on the skirts are a departure from the cute cats of the current season, but the biscuits continue the long tradition of Bortsprungt putting a random confectionary/food reference into every collection.

Can you spot the face in the above dress – start with the ears on the shoulders and it will all begin to make sense.

As ever there was a great selection of beautiful fabrics and embellishments that separate this from the many brands who just rely on prints each and every season.

The collars remind me of Anrealage’s A/W 2012 season, which is no bad thing at all.

You can look forward to a whole lot more from Bortsprungt later next month and I should say that if you are around in Tokyo (and speak reasonable Japanese) you can actually go to a Bortsprungt fashion workshop in early October where you can explore their world in much more detail. If you fancy going then head to Laichi in LaForet and enquire about availability – it definitely promises to be a lot of fun.